Fixing Your Dynasty Team, Fixing Running Back Need

During the offseason, there is a great temptation to make deals to address needs. Dynasty GMs spend much of the offseason thinking about their lineup needs and then making draft picks and trades to address those needs.

Fixing Needs

Six weeks into the season is a good time to think back to your offseason and ask yourself if the player you acquired to fix your need is fixing your need. If the player was not an elite player, there is a good chance they did not meaningfully fix the need.

Running back is the most common position where dynasty GMs think they have a need and will make trades to contend.

Below are the top 10 running backs in points per game with at least three games played in scoring through six weeks:

• De'Von Achane – 25.9
• Christian McCaffrey – 25.0
• Raheem Mostert – 23.6
• Zack Moss – 20.3
• Alvin Kamara – 19.2
• Travis Etienne Jr. – 18.9
• Kyren Willaims – 18.5
• Ken Walker III – 18.3
• David Montgomery – 17.4
• Saquon Barkley – 16.8

Three running backs were consistently outside the 20 rounds of startups throughout the offseason (Mostert, Moss, Williams). Three others were available outside the top 20 running backs for periods in the offseason (Montgomery, Kamara). Achane was widely available in the second round of rookie drafts. Etienne and Walker were widely suspected of facing committee challenges from rookies Tank Bigsby and Zach Charbonnet, respectively. Barkley had a contractual holdout that caused a depression in price. Of the group, only McCaffrey was priced at the elite price he is currently performing.

This is a good reminder about team building strategy. Fixing a need at running back is a problem that can be solved with volume.

Optimizing Your Roster

If you have a need at running back, be careful addressing the need through the trade market. If you are going to trade for need, be cost-conscious. The position is volatile, and injuries can change a player's value quickly.

The cheaper volume-heavy route is typically the better one at the running back position. If you are a true contending team, you should have a good understanding of the wide receivers you will be playing on a week-to-week basis. Be conscious of the need and utility of depth wide receivers on your roster. If you have a wide receiver you will not feel comfortable starting and do not see how you will benefit from using them in a trade package in the next six months, the wide receiver is probably roster fodder, and you should look to move off of them. You can do it by a cheap trade or simply cutting them.

In their place, optimize your backend of the roster with injury-away running backs. This is an ongoing process that can change each week.

In the past two weeks, running backs like Craig Reynolds, Jordan Mason, Chuba Hubbard, Roschon Johnson, Matt Breida, and Jordan Mason have landed potential starting opportunities because their starters were injured.

Running backs who are currently an injury away that warrant roster consideration include:

• Latavius Murray
• Trayveon Williams
• Rico Dowdle
• Devin Singletary
• Cam Akers
• Jaylen Warren
• KeShawn Vaughn

Optimizing your running back position can solve problems. Solving the running back position is a week-to-week process but does require buying high on current producers. Optimize the back end of your roster, and you will have a good opportunity to improve your lineup in the coming weeks.